PRESENT: B. Blanchard, T. Joseph, P. Penniman, C. Evans, M. Lane
STAFF: L. Shurtleff, J. Miller, Fire, Disaster and EMS; R. Erb, County Administrator; J. Hanson, Planning Commissioner; J. Kazda, Engineering
GUESTS: L. Withiam, B. Wilbur, E911 Operations Committee
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting opened at 2:00 p.m.
ADDITIONS/DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA
There were no additions or deletions to the agenda.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes of June 22, 1999, were deferred to the August Committee meeting.
PROJECT STATUS REPORTS
DOT
Mr. Hanson stated that a meeting was held with Jim Kazda and the consulting architect/engineer for the project, Sergio Estabaun, to discuss the future design of the DOT facility. He stated the site visit to Waterloo was very successful. Gordon Rimous, resident engineer, NYSDOT in Cortland and Rick McEwen, who is in charge of DOT facilities construction also attended the meeting. During that meeting it was mentioned that the State is looking to build a new facility that an improvement over the one recently built in Lockport. Mr. Hanson stated that this indicates that the state already has put money into building new facilities.
Ms. Blanchard stated she and Mr. Benjamin looked at a new facility in Coopers Plains, New York, that is combined with the state police and liked the layout.
Mr. Hanson indicated that the computerized CAD disc with the state’s facilities building will be sent to Mr. Kazda within the next couple of weeks. At that time, the County will begin working on the integration of the County’s building elements into the facility.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND APPRAISAL
Mr. Kazda stated that four monitoring wells placed on the NYSDOT Third Street site when the original fuel tanks were removed. He stated previous test samples indicate there is some pollution and one spill that hasn’t been closed. He stated that the City Fire Department has one tank on its inventory and the Department of Conservation has no record that it was removed. It isn’t known at this time if there is still a buried tank on the site or if more monitoring wells will be needed. The Phase I Environmental Assessment has not been finalized because of these issues and we are still waiting to find out if more monitoring wells will be needed. Mr. Lane stated that there is some concern about what was previously at the site, was it a fill site or used for garbage, etc. Mr. Kazda stated it isn’t known because the County does not have the log from the drill when the wells were installed. The only information that has been obtained is water sampling that has identified petro chemicals at the site.
Ms. Blanchard asked who would be completing the Phase I Environmental Assessment. Mr. Kazda stated that this work is being done by Geological in Cortland, New York and they will also be providing a history of the site. He stated there have been discussions about taking the process a step farther and installing more monitoring wells and expanding the analysis of what is under the ground. By doing this they will be able to identify what the drill is going through. He stated that the water flow is not going out to the Inlet as was previously thought. The engineering analysis shows the water going in a southerly direction.
Mr. Joseph asked what it means to have a spill that is not closed and if anything will need to be done to the site. Mr. Kazda stated that for the spill to be closed drinking water standards would need to be met. He stated that this standard is rarely met and the spill is closed not meeting standards. This places the spill on an inactive list. He stated at present the spill appears to be active, but the DEC isn’t asking for remediation at this time. The numbers from the analysis aren’t very high.
HANSHAW ROAD PROPERTY
Mr. Kazda stated that instead of a Phase I Environmental Assessment being completed a screening was done. He stated it does not appear that anything has ever happened to that property. He stated the screening was less expensive and this allowed for more analysis to be completed on the Third Street property. He stated that the appraisal on the Third Street property should be available by the end of the month.
Ms. Blanchard stated that the MOU draft has been circulated to the City, and to the Chair of the City’s Planning Committee. It still needs to have the additions submitted by the Town of Dryden incorporated into it and then it will be distributed to the Committee for review. The City Mayor has been asked to submit any changes by the end of the week. The next step will be to send it to Cornell for review. Ms. Blanchard asked Mr. Hanson to incorporate the changes and send it to Fred Rogers or John Majeroni at Cornell.
E911
Mr. Shurtleff reported that the E911 Committee and subcommittees are working on operation plans and looking at various procedures that will be changed or updated. He stated there has been discussion about staffing issues and these will also be addressed in the operational plan. He stated a rough draft of the space needs has been completed and submitted.
Ms. Blanchard stated that there has been discussion about what consolidation means in terms to residual staff needs. She stated that it was reported definitively that there is no intent to do any back filling of staff. There were also questions of what the 911-dispatching configuration will look like and this is being worked on.
Mr. Shurtleff stated that the center will need to be approximately 13,000 square feet. Mr. Miller stated that this is the amount of occupied space currently and an additional 2,400 as indicated in a 1992 consultant’s report.
Mr. Withiam stated that forms have been distributed to all departments to track the number of 911 calls coming in. The manual count will take place in September when the college students have returned to school. He stated a meeting will be set with police agencies to resolve records and communications problems that have been identified. Mr. Withiam stated he is fairly comfortable with the proposed size of the dispatch center based on the configuration plans and visits to other departments to see their needs.
Ms. Blanchard stated that the dispatch core will need to have the highest level of security and this will need to remain a priority.
TOWERS PROJECT
Mr. Miller stated that meetings continue with Dutch Hill Consultants and tours were taken of 64 proposed tower locations. He stated that the latitude and longitude of each location was plotted. Dutch Hill will be doing early propagation analysis on some of the sites, but some did not meet the County’s needs and those will be eliminated from the list. Mr. Miller stated that Dutch Hill will be back at the end of the week to take a further look at some of the sites. They have contacted some of the owners of the commercial sites to discuss availability and do some preliminary financial analysis. They will then do a propagation study to see if the sites meet the County’s needs. Mr. Miller stated that there are some ideally placed cell towers in the County, but cell tower locations do not necessarily meet the County’s needs because they do not travel the necessary distance.
Ms. Blanchard asked when the draft study will be ready. Mr. Shurtleff stated that it was hoped that it could be ready by the end of July, but it may take a little while longer.
Mr. Miller stated that the County has had discussions with Omni Point about the possibility of using the County’s tower at the public safety building for co-location.
CISNET
Ms. Blanchard stated that she spoke with Mr. Benjamin and he indicated that a large grant was received over a year ago for the CISNET project. She stated the Request for Proposals was sent out and replies to that are currently being evaluated. She stated that the Police Subcommittee of the E911 Operations Committee will be invited to see the presentation by vendors at the beginning of August. Mr. Benjamin will be discussing the system with the E911 Operations Committee at their September meeting. The vendor will also be available at that meeting to answer questions. Ms. Blanchard stated that it is hoped to have the system fully operational by year-end.
Mr. Withiam stated that the Technical Subcommittee met July 26, 1999, and they will be setting up a meeting to discuss each police agency’s requirements. He stated that the technical problems need discussion to make sure everything fits together properly.
TECHNICAL PACKAGE MATERIALS
Mr. Hanson distributed the report entitled "COMCAP Project Elements", these will be on file in the Board office. He indicated that the roster still needs to be finished. Ms. Blanchard indicated that this document will be distributed to each Board member to they will have background information on each project. She asked the committee to submit any additional information to Mr. Hanson so a supplement can be done.
REVIEW OF ACTIVITY SCHEDULE, WITH REVISIONS
Mr. Kazda distributed the activity schedule for the consolidated dispatch/DOT headquarters. This is attached. He indicated that the state does not have a process for approving projects as was originally thought and once the money has been allocated the project can move forward. He stated the biggest issue at this point is obtaining money for the project. He stated that occupancy is anticipated for 2002.
Mr. Miller asked what happens to the project if the state budget isn’t passed. Ms. Blanchard stated that there is a capital budget for pieces of the project that may have to be separated out with the dollar amounts assigned to each piece. She stated that there is also other funding available for facilities projects through the Department of Transportation that does not rely on the state budget.
Mr. Joseph expressed concern that the project may take a very long time to complete. Ms. Blanchard stated if that happens, other options will need to be pursued. Mr. Lane stated that the Board has passed a resolution to move forward with the consolidation of County projects even if it doesn’t involve the DOT.
Mr. Kazda stated that the design needs to be considered carefully, and if one piece of the project moves forward before the other that it remains economical for taxpayers. It will have to be determined if both the dispatch center and DOT facility will be constructed at the same time, of if one will be added on later.
ZONING AND SEQR REQUIREMENTS
Mr. Hanson stated that he received notice from Deputy County Attorney Jonathon Wood regarding the SEQR Environmental Reviews. Mr. Wood indicates that acquisition of the Third Street property does not meet any Type I thresholds and therefore would likely be an "unlisted action". He stated the County would be required to complete a short-form Environmental Assessment Form and adopt a resolution declaring it a negative declaration.
Mr. Wood stated that for the Hanshaw property the County would assume the responsibilities of an "involved agency" because the Town of Dryden would act as lead agency. As an "involved agency", the County should provide the Town with its observations and concerns to enable the Town to make a determination of significance. If the Town treats the matter as an "unlisted action" and makes a "negative declaration", the County should adopt a resolution accepting the property along with an appropriate SEQRA resolution.
Ms. Blanchard asked how this fits with the County’s Land Policy. Mr. Hanson stated that this is being reviewed and he will make a report at the August meeting.
Mr. Joseph asked if the County can assume a "negative declaration" just on acquiring property. Mr. Kazda stated that you cannot do a SEQR determination on acquisition, an analysis needs to be completed on the structure. Mr. Hanson stated that there is an assumption that a Negative Declaration is possible, but it may be determined that the long form Environmental Assessment Form may need to be completed.
Mr. Hanson stated that the Town of Dryden has indicated that the new NYSDOT/Tompkins County facility would be an "exempt" action if their zoning ordinances. He stated that they have indicated that the Town may need help with the technical aspects of the SEQR process if the Town is designated lead agency.
OTHER COMMITTEE BUSINESS
Mr. Penniman stated that when Frontier Cellular put up their tower they pointed out the advantage of using cell phone to report emergencies. At this time there is a large part of the County along the edge of Cayuga Lake that does not receive cell signals. He asked if cell phones can be equipped to hook into emergency systems in the event of an emergency or if companies can be encouraged to locate in better areas.
Mr. Miller stated that it is not possible to hook the two systems together because they are different systems. He stated that cell phone businesses locate where they believe the best market situation exists.
AUGUST AGENDA
The meeting adjourned 2:58 p.m. The next meeting will be held August 24, 1999, at 2:00 p.m. in the Courthouse Conference Room.
Respectfully submitted by Jennifer Luu, Administrative Assistant, Board of Representative’s office.